Neal Francis
‰ÛÏI just wanted to be honest about everything, from my musical influences to my story,‰Û� muses Neal Francis. After years of dishonest living‰ÛÓconsumed by drugs, alcohol, and addiction‰ÛÓsuch sincerity is jarring from the 30-year-old Chicago-based musician. Liberated from a self-destructive past and born anew in sobriety, Francis has captured an inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms and Chicago blues. His music evokes a bygone era of R&B‰Ûªs heyday while simultaneously forging a new path on the musical landscape. Ohio-based Karma Chief Records (a subsidiary of rising soul label Colemine Records) will release two songs, ‰ÛÏThese Are The Days‰Û� and ‰ÛÏChanges, Pt. 1,‰Û� in early 2019 with the full LP to follow in Fall 2019.
There is a deep connection between Francis‰Ûªs childhood‰ÛÓhis obsession with boogie woogie piano, his father‰Ûªs gift of a dusty Dr. John LP‰ÛÓand the songs he‰Ûªs created. The result is an astonishing collection of material without parallel in the contemporary funk and soul scene. The influences are unmistakable: the vocal stylings of Allen Toussaint and Leon Russell; the second line rhythms of The Meters and Dr. John; the barroom rock ‰Û÷n‰Ûª roll of The Rolling Stones; the gospel soul of Billy Preston; the roots music of The Band. Francis pays tribute to the masters but has his own story to tell: ‰ÛÏIt‰Ûªs the life I‰Ûªve lived so far.‰Û�
And what a life it‰Ûªs been. Born Neal Francis O‰ÛªHara, the piano prodigy found himself touring Europe by the age of 18 with Muddy Waters‰Ûª son and backing up other prominent blues artists coast-to-coast. In 2012, Francis joined popular instrumental funk band The Heard. With Francis at the creative helm, The Heard transformed into a national act, touring with boogaloo progenitors The New Mastersounds and chart toppers The Revivalists and appearing at Jazz Fest and Bear Creek. As The Heard‰Ûªs star rose, however, Francis sunk deeper into addiction. Once a promising sideman, by 2015 he had been fired from his band, evicted from his apartment, and was perilously close to self-destruction. ‰ÛÏWhen you get close to death like that you can feel it,‰Û� Francis recalls. An alcohol-induced seizure that year led to a broken femur, dislocated arm, and, finally, the realization that he needed to get clean.
The journey from a hospital bed to launching his solo career was neither predictable nor straightforward. There were musical fits and starts, relapses, and broken relationships. Yet the overwhelming passion driving Francis in this second act has been an overabundance of creative energy. ‰ÛÏDrinking held my music in a half-cocked slingshot. I was always so consumed by drugs and alcohol that I didn‰Ûªt have the time, money, or creative energy to do it. Sobriety let it loose.‰Û�
Determined to realize the songs swirling in his head, Francis assembled a crack team of musicians, calling on bassist Mike Starr (The Heard) and drummer PJ Howard (The Revivalists, The Heard). He linked up with producer and analog-obsessive Sergio Rios (Orgone, Cee Lo Green, Alicia Keys) and self-funded a trip to Killion Sound in Los Angeles to record the initial batch of material. ‰ÛÏI learned to trust my instincts in that room,‰Û� says Francis. Buoyed by classic horn arrangements and Rios‰Ûª fierce guitar work, the resulting tracks illuminate a lifetime spent studying the masters of soul music.
From the RMI electra-piano riff that kicks off ‰ÛÏShe‰Ûªs A Winner‰Û� to the screaming organ swells of ‰ÛÏThis Time,‰Û� Francis and company let it all hang out. This is fun music, dance music. Yet verse after verse and chorus after chorus, Francis wrestles with his past in a straightforward manner: ‰ÛÏIt‰Ûªs 5 o‰Ûªclock in the morning, but I‰Ûªm not home/ I‰Ûªm surrounded by people, but I‰Ûªm really alone.‰Û� Like Toussaint and Russell before him he‰Ûªs married the upbeat rhythms of New Orleans R&B with the lyrical approach of a confessional singer/songwriter. The refrain on ‰ÛÏThis Time‰Û� serves as a foxhole prayer for a better future: ‰ÛÏLet me get it this time/I won‰Ûªt let you down/Let me get it this time/I won‰Ûªt fool around.‰Û�
2018 was a busy year. In February Francis finished recording basic tracks for the yet-to-be named debut album in Los Angeles and spent the following months doing overdubs in Chicago with engineer Mike Novak (who also recorded demos for the project). After playing his first show in November, Francis was signed by Paradigm Talent Agency. 2019 brought a North American tour supporting The Cat Empire as well as radio play on KEXP, KCRW, and BBC Radio 6. Francis continues to tour relentlessly to promote his own music. ‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm doing this to fulfill a drive within myself, but also to pay tribute to the gifts I‰Ûªve been given. And it comes from a place of immense gratitude. I‰Ûªve been given so much in my life, especially in the last two years, that this feels like a bonus.‰Û�